News

PPIC: A look at California’s likely voters

An array of voters casting their ballots. (Photo: Alexandru Nika, via Shutterstock)

A report from the Public Policy Institute of California on the makeup of the California electorate as the 2020 elections approach. Eight in ten eligible voters are registered to vote; independent registration continues to increase. As of February 2019, 19.9 million of California’s 25.3 million eligible adults were registered to vote. At 79.1% of eligible adults, this is an increase from the registration rate in 2015 (72.7%), the last year preceding a presidential election.

Opinion

Collective bargaining for family child care providers?

A group of children with their instructor. (Photo: Robert Kneschke, via Shutterstock)

As rents and inequality have soared, many workers haven’t had much to celebrate with a Labor Day picnic. The working moms and dads whose children I care for rarely get a holiday off — and that means neither do I. Long hours and irregular schedules are common for parents working nonstop to lift their

Opinion

Profiting from immoral immigrant detention should be illegal

A photo illustration of a young boy in immigration custody. (Image: Suzanne Tucker, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: As our country bears witness to the horrific attacks and reckless hate unleashed against immigrants, we must find truth and power in the basic principles of solidarity and justice. This begins with the simple premise that defending our values starts at home, and California is home to more immigrants than any state in the Union. Any confrontation with injustice against immigrants must necessarily hold accountable the institutions that perpetuate oppression.

News

CalPERS gets candid about ‘critical’ decade ahead

The CalPERS headquarters in Sacramento. (Photo: Kit Leong, via Shutterstock)

Once CalPERS could shrug off low funding and rising employer costs as just another downturn, staying the course in the long-term strategy of getting most of its money from market investments that go up and down. This time is different.

News

CA120: The magic and mystery of ‘electability’

Kickoff campaign rally for presidential candidate Kamala Harris in Oakland in January. (Photo: Sheila Fitzgerald, via Shutterstock)

With the second release of the Capitol Weekly 2020 Tracking Poll we can dive into some details of the survey.  Each month we will strive to find something in the data that speaks to a major topic targeted by policy wonks, pundits and political strategists, and we’ll look at the data from California respondents.

Opinion

Bill restricting drug patent pacts could hurt consumers

An array of products on the shelves of a pharmacy. (Photo: Niloo, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Headlines continue to scream about the price of prescription medications skyrocketing. But here is some good news about drug costs: the price of generic medicines is falling. Fast. In California, generic prices decreased on average 15 percent per year over the last several years.  California residents spent $24 billion less on generics than on brand prescriptions in 2018. 

Opinion

Exempt health care professionals from AB 5

A perfusionist operating a heart-lung machine in a surgical setting. (Photo: Dmitry Kalinovsky, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: In an attempt to address some problematic side-effects of a recent California Supreme Court case focusing on the employment of independent contractors, lawmakers have crafted a proposal that would take away our ability to decide how and when we work.

News

Kern spill renews oil production controversy

Pump jacks at sunset, extracting up to 40 liters of oil and water emulsion with each stroke. (Photo: Ronnie Chua, via Shutterstock)

California has long been a top producer of oil. But that may change. Some hope that change will accelerate under Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has called for a decrease in the demand and supply of fossil fuels. A recent massive spill in Chevron’s Cymric oilfield in Kern County, about 35 miles west of Bakersfield, could bolster that view.

News

Clock ticking on dispute over vaccination exemptions

A young boy watches as he is vaccinated. (Photo: JPC-PROD, via Shutterstock)

A contentious, heavily amended attempt to tighten California’s mandatory vaccination law remains stalled in the Legislature with the deadline less than four weeks away. The measure would crack down on doctors who write fake medical exemptions for children.

Opinion

More work needed on state’s drinking water crisis

A sign urging protections for drinking water in Yosemite National Park. (Photo: Earl D. Walker, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: California has a drinking water crisis. More than 1 million people in California lack access to safe, clean, and affordable drinking water. 400 schools in our state have lead contamination in their drinking water. About 300 public water systems in our state are not in compliance with drinking water standards. This is a public health and environmental crisis.

Support for Capitol Weekly is Provided by: